U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,217 describes a plate cutter comprising two parallel rollers, one on top of the other, which rotate at the same speed, and between which the metal strip passes. The lower roller is provided with circumferentially-spaced central lugs that project radially and engage holes in the strip to pull it along. The upper roller, in turn, is provided with cutter blades projecting from its cylindrical surface, which make lengthwise and transverse cuts in the metal strip between the lengthwise edges and the row of holes running down the center of said strip, to form the pasted plates with their respective tabs.
The outside end of the blades that make the transverse cuts is finished off in a V-shape, to cut the lower corners of the plates. The upper roller is also provided with means for removing the cut-away corners by suction and collecting them in chambers at the ends of the roller.
In the case of the machine described in the cited patent, each time a cutter blade on the upper roller is damaged or wears out, said roller must be replaced with a new one. The production line has to be stopped for a relatively long period of time to perform such operation. Furthermore, having to replace the whole roller considerably increases the cost of the process.
In addition, the fact that the means for removing the trim are on the upper roller exacerbates the aforementioned problems. Moreover, since the cutter blades are formed on the roller itself, a different roller is needed for each type of plate, especially where such types relate to the position and height of the tabs on the plates.